Preached on August 9, 2020 AM

I have been on this subject for some time. Much has been going on in this time and it does not seem like things are going to change that much, because of the way things are headed, and all the demonstrations. The Democrats, sad to say, they say these are peaceful demonstrations, which we know is a lie. When policemen are being blinded by lasers. At last report, twenty-one have been injured by lasers and some have completely lost their eyesight. That is not ‘peaceful’. I saw someone demonstrate how the laser would work. They shined that on a certain spot, and it burned a hole in it immediately.

Whenever you injure over eight hundred police officers in different ways in the last three months or so; these are not peaceful demonstrations. It is something hatched up by the devil. They just want to say that policemen are not needed. The mayor of Louisville had been involved in this demonstration too. He was at a certain place and so many demonstrators gathered around him that he had to call the police to get him out of the situation. They think it is all right not to have any police as long as you do not need them. But when it comes to the time they are needed, then they will call on the police. It is a miserable situation that the world is in this morning. In Portland, Oregon they are piling Bibles in the streets and burning them. Somebody is going to pay a great price for all that they are doing, in order to push their devilish ideas on mankind.

Putting Scriptures in their Rightful Positions

I will go back to the scripture in Ezekiel Chapter 47 this morning. As I said last week: Ezekiel 47 will be the natural representation of the spiritual that is seen in Chapters 21 and 22 of Revelation. You will see the similarities as we look at it, concerning Israel and the Bride of Jesus Christ. We know looking back at the scripture in Revelation Chapter 21, that the twelve tribes of Israel will have something to do concerning the city, because each of the twelve gates are named after each tribe’s Patriarch. We see that in the last part of Ezekiel Chapter 48.

First, I want to look at this part in Chapter 47. At the end of Chapter 46, Ezekiel is finishing up with the courts of the tabernacle. The tabernacle, at that time, is an earthly tabernacle, with earthly leadership, that is going to be God-designated leadership. There are the sons of Zadok among the Levites, which will be the head of the leadership, there in Israel. This is all concerning Israel, the temple, and all that is built. We know this is going to happen before long because it has to be there whenever the two prophets come on the scene.

We have looked at that, and it was looked at by Bro. Jackson. There are certain things there that Bro. Branham was not given because he lived in a different age of time, and he did all that he was supposed to do. He said that himself during the seals. He said, I must decrease, just as John the Baptist, but there will be someone else that will point you further. I understand that it was Bro. Jackson’s ministry, which reaches on into this time. May God be praised that we are living in this time. That we are able to see the things that God has provided for the End Time Ministry. Because it tells in the 4^th chapter of Ephesians, that the Bride will be perfected by a ministry. (God is very specific on that). He gives us a fivefold ministry for the perfecting of the saints. That is the Bride ministry’s obligation today. Years ago, there were many preachers that filled the platform. Even over the baptismal pool there were two additional rows of preachers that were here until 2008. Then most of them who were ministers at that time, chose another direction. Bro. Bud stood with us, but there were not many others that did. They all left and thought they had the answer. But look at them today. They are so mixed up and confused. They have lost their congregations and especially their young people. I was thinking of the young people singing here this morning. None of them were alive when Bro. Jackson died. All of them have come on the scene since that time and now they are growing up.

After Bro. Jackson was gone, everybody was looking at 2004 ½ as being the time period that something would really happen in Israel, to bring about the change. But God has everything in His hands, and we cannot measure time for God. We do know what the Bible says concerning the fig tree. That there will still be people living that saw the State of Israel coming into existence. So, we know we are very close to that time. Israel was recognized in 1948. (They were already recognized in 1947, I know Bro. Branham mentioned 1947 as being the time, but the Israeli leaders were afraid to go forward). Then on May 14, 1948, Ben-Gurion went ahead and announced they were going to be a nation. Then Truman and others declared Israel to be the nation of the Jews. Israel’s borders have since been parted many times. Now there are more Jews in Israel than there are in the rest of the world. The United States used to hold that position, but now it is Israel. I forget how many thousands more have registered to go back to Israel from the United States this year. They have to go back to fulfill what the scripture says. To get the 144,000, (twelve thousand from each tribe) that will be able to preach the gospel during the tribulation time. They will preach the gospel for that last three- and one-half years throughout the world. To all people; Gentiles, and Jews and so on. They will be ministering the message that God has given them, ‘keep away from The Beast.’ That is their main message, but there are other things listed in Revelation Chapter 14, where each angel is bringing a message to those 144,000. Then last of all, Jesus himself is upon that white cloud, reaping the 144,000 as the last part of the first resurrection. This will be done right at the end of the tribulation time, after the ones that have given their lives for the testimony which they held, both Jews and Gentiles. I know I have gone over several things here this morning, but it is nothing new, it is just bringing them together in their rightful position.

As we look at this scripture in Ezekiel, I want you to understand that this is a replica of Revelation 21 (it is not the same, it is the natural). Revelation 21 is the Bride, (the spiritual) and what her job is during the Millennium. Where we see that the healing of the nations that were saved as natural people during the tribulation will be brought about in the Millennium by the leaves of the tree of life. In Ezekiel we see something that is in the natural, that represents the spiritual in Revelation 21 and 22. Ezekiel 47, verse 1: “Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, (That would be toward the Mt. of Olives, the forefront will face that direction.) and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.” He is still looking eastward at the south side, which the waters go from the altar there, because whenever Jesus comes back and stands upon the Mount of Olives, then there is going to be an earthquake that no doubt will cause this. It doesn’t say so, but it will open up that ground there, to let the waters come out, because they will go right back down into the Kidron Valley and on eastward. On the west side they will go toward the great sea (Mediterranean Sea). You have that happening during the time that Jesus stands on the Mount of Olives, and the mount is split. We see that God knows everything. He knows exactly where everything is. For one thousand cubits the water is ankle deep, then it goes on down and gets deeper, so somewhere there is a river underneath Jerusalem. The earthquake will cause the mountains to come down unto that river. Here in Ezekiel, it mentions that the waters go only one direction, east toward the Dead Sea. But then in Zechariah, it tells us it goes east and west into both seas. You can see how this is brought about. “Then brought he me out of the way of the gate northward and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that looketh eastward; and, behold, there ran out waters on the right side.” I remember when Bro. Jackson first preached this in the middle 1970’s. A preacher that was here at that time, he left saying that Bro. Jackson was trying to mess up Revelation, because Bro. Jackson said that he was going to put it in chronological order. This preacher said that Bro. Jackson was changing Revelation. But Bro. Jackson just put them in the order that they would come. Then this preacher went to a meeting and was preaching this water running out is the Holy Ghost. It had been less than six months since Bro. Jackson had preached on this 47^th chapter here. “And when the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a thousand cubits, (This is fifteen hundred feet or so.) and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the ankles.” See? It is running fast here because of the slope it is on. That is the reason it is only to the ankles. But then we see it is beginning to head for land that is more level. “Again he measured a thousand, (more cubits, which would be three thousand feet) and brought me through the waters; the waters were to the knees. (It is leveling out now.) Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through; the waters were to the loins.” It is getting deeper all the time because it is leveling out. “Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over.” Unless you swim in it, you could not pass over. You couldn’t walk through it at that point. You could walk to it up to the loins, although it would be swift at that point. “And he said unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen this? Then he brought me, and caused me to return to the brink of the river.” Back to the beginning of the river. He sees that this is not some little water way, it is getting very deep. There is much water coming out from under the altar. “Now when I had returned, behold, at the bank of the river were very many trees on the one side and on the other.”  When you look at the tree of life, you are seeing the same thing as you are seeing here, but this is natural. The tree of life is spiritual. As I said, this is a replica of the real tree of life. “Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, (which would be the Dead Sea) and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea the waters shall be healed. And it come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh. And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.” What is going to happen here, whenever you go to Zechariah, you are going to see the river going east, and you are going to see it going west. It will empty into both the Dead Sea and the great sea. The fish will be able to cross over from the Mediterranean, because they are the same kind of fish. “But the miry places thereof and the marishes thereof shall not be healed; they shall be given to salt.” That is the outside. But the inside of the sea is going to be healed. People will no longer be able to float on it like they do now, because it is going to be good water. “And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, (or fruit. Everything that is mentioned in the Bible, if it is bread or whatever, it is mentioned as meat. It just meets the need. This will be fruits, nuts, and everything that is needed for people to eat.) whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: (The trees will not run out of fruit, they are going to be very fruitful. For some forty miles to the Dead Sea, there is going to be all kinds of fruit trees and nut trees.) it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: (This is where they issue out from, the sanctuary, to go into both seas. You can see it is pure water that comes out of there. You might say, “How in the world can saltwater fish swim from one sea to the other (the Mediterranean to the Dead Sea) in a freshwater river?” As you look at this, you see the river comes out of God’s sanctuary. So, God is a healer of the waters. If He wanted to, He could just take and throw them from one to the other, but He is not going to do that. He is going to do it as it is said here. God is perfect, we are imperfect. Man is imperfect in his ways. He never will catch up with God, because God is a thinker, God is a meditator. He meditates on what He is going to do. We thank The Lord for that.) whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.” There is a medication that comes out of the leaves of that tree. Revelation 22 tells you about this, it says for the healing of the nations. The healing of the nations will have to come through the Bride ministry in the Millennium. We are looking at both Israel and the Bride during the Millennium.

Israel will be guided by twelve apostles. They will force judgment upon Jerusalem and upon the rest of the nation of Israel. It will be forced. I know you read in the book of Revelation, the seventh chapter, the tribe of Dan is left out of that because of their transgressions. But when we go to Ezekiel, Chapter 48, you will see Dan is back in there again, because he is a part of the twelve tribes. But the tribe of Dan was forbidden to be a part of the ministry, because of their transgressions. God remembers that they were the first to go to Baal worship. All of this happened more than thirty-five hundred years ago. Dan, of course, was in the upper part of Israel, he was the last tribe going north. At that time travel was very slow, whether they used horseback, donkey, camel, or whatever. Dan thought that it was too much to travel all the way to Jerusalem to do sacrifice, so they worshipped idols that Jeroboam had made. But travel will be different in the Millennium. Because there is going to be a speedy travel for people, from the north to the south. Now we can travel six hundred miles in a day’s time. This is the way it will be, probably much quicker than that. Even now they have trains that will go two hundred miles an hour. God has it all planned out for the Millennium. We will not have to worry about that.

 Now let us go to Ezekiel 48. These are all represented in Chapter 21 of Revelation. Here are the twelve tribes, equal to the twelve gates. It was Israel through which we got the gospel. Paul got his revelation from the Old Testament, from the prophets mostly, because he did not speak much of the first five books of the Bible. He did not go into that very much, except for Abraham. Abraham was the father of the nations, and when we look at the scriptures here, we see the way it came about. Verse 30, “And these are the goings out of the city on the north side, four thousand and five hundred measures.” That would be reeds. Reeds are what he used in measuring the city and everything of that nature. “And the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes of Israel: three gates northward; one gate of Reuben, one gate of Judah, one gate of Levi. And at the east side four thousand and five hundred: and three gates; and one gate of Joseph, one gate of Benjamin, one gate of Dan.” See? That is where Dan is brought back into leadership during the Millennium. “And at the south side four thousand and five hundred measures: and three gates; one gate of Simeon, one gate of Issachar, one gate of Zebulun.” He is measuring this, a perfect earthly city. This is the city itself. I know we have the city marked out, much of it for the Levites and the sons of Zadok, then for the prince, he offers the sacrifice and all, he does the work of a high priest also. It says so in another translation. “And at the west side four thousand and five hundred, with their three gates; one gate of Gad, one gate of Asher, one gate of Naphtali. It was round about eighteen thousand measures; and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there.” This will be the name of the city.

I want to go to Zechariah now, which is also repeated in Joel. Zechariah 14, verse 8: “And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; (The same thing as in Ezekiel.) half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: (We see here the plan that God has that the waters will flow to both seas.) in summer and in winter shall it be.” This is during the Millennium. I know some have questioned whether there would be winter during the Millennium. It says there will be, and there will be rain also during that time. Because during the first part of the Millennium, God has not completely drawn the water back up. But by the end of it, the water will be back in the atmosphere as it was at the beginning of time. I could go to Joel Chapter 3:17-21, which says the same thing.

Run with Patience

But I will go from this to Hebrews. I want to look at the 8^th verse of chapter 11. “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” This is the leadership of God. God don’t always tell you everything. He will tell you He is going to do something, but He is expecting you to follow Him. If we follow Him, then we will know the direction we are to take. If we don’t follow Him, then we won’t know where we are going. But Abraham believed God, it tells us right here. But he went, not knowing where he went because, you will see, he was looking for something else. “By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles (that is, tents) with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.” The promise is that there was a land for them. The promise to Abraham was that in his seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. Paul brought that out plainly in his writings. He said it was seed, not seeds. Seeds is many, that is what Paul said, it was a seed, one special seed, which was Christ. “For he looked for a city (He was looking for a city because God had shown him something. God had shown him that there was a city that was coming, but He didn’t give him the answer to it. But Abraham looked for that city, which we are looking for, the same city. He looked for a city…) which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” Which had foundations, twelve foundations, which is the twelve apostles. “Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. These all died in faith, not having received the promises, (The promises of what? The promises of that city they were looking for. They didn’t receive that, or they didn’t receive the promise of the Holy Ghost.) but having seen them afar off, (They were able with God’s telescope to look into a great future, because God had shown them something concerning a city.) and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” This is what they saw, what Abraham saw. It was what he looked for. No doubt that was what Jacob saw when he saw the ladder reaching into heaven. It was there, but it was far off from where they were at, at that time. “For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.” A kingdom. Now he goes back to what Abraham could have done. “And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.” But this wasn’t their aim. They weren’t mixed up in their revelation. I will say this to you this morning, if this is growing old to you, you better get it fixed up. If you think that this world is your home, you don’t have much to live for. This world is going to pass away. All the beautiful things that you can gather, whatever it would be, is going to be gone. We don’t want to be left with it. Whenever that move comes, we don’t want anything here on this earth to hinder us. Because there is a city waiting. “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city. By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.” Now I want to go on to the 32^nd verse, “And what shall I more say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” That is not talking about alien beings. That is talking about the people who were on the earth. Some people are so mixed up, they think that angels came down and became flesh. That would make them creators, if they could do that. Don’t ever think anything like that. There are prophecy preachers that believe that. They are on television telling that story, which is a lie. There is no such thing as angels changing themselves into physical beings. They are spirit beings, the way that God made them. “Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: And others had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented: (Of whom the world was not worthy:) (They were looking for something else, the world was not worthy of them. The world is not worthy of the Bride of Jesus Christ today. They are not.) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: (They did not get to the promise that they had seen, the city that they had seen, they didn’t get it. Why? Because of the Bride of Jesus Christ. As it says here…) God having provided some better thing for us, (a better thing than what they had, what they expected) that they without us should not be made perfect.” What they looked for, they couldn’t obtain, because the shed blood of Jesus Christ was not yet spilled. They looked forward to that time, because God put a revelation in their heart, that they might be able to do that. We will go on into the 12^th chapter, “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, (the ones he just mentioned) let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” (Are we running with patience, or do we have something else in mind? Anybody that is running in a race, that race that they are in is what is on their mind. They are not thinking about what they can do tomorrow or the next day. They are thinking about winning the race. That is our aim, to win. We don’t want to be losers. A loser has nothing. There is a blue ribbon waiting for those that win. I don’t want a red ribbon, or white ribbon. I remember the old country fairs, and when the old country schools got together to compete. If you won something you got a ribbon). “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him (the joy set before him. He was looking at the glory that he would share, instead of looking at the moment of what he had to go through. He saw all that he would go through, but He knew without that there would be nothing. Without the shed blood of Jesus Christ, there would be no hope in this world. Paul goes into that himself in the book of Ephesians. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him…) endured the cross, (endured, that is not a great word, it was an endurance, it was a time of shame, and disgrace that He went through for us, not for himself, but for us. He didn’t need to die for himself. He needed to die for us.) despising the shame, (Now here is what He was looking for.) and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” And The Bible says we shall sit with Him in His throne. “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him.” A rebuke can come in many ways. It can come through sickness; it can come through family members. These are chastisements and rebukes that sometimes we go through in order to be chaste virgins. “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” He scourges every son, or daughter, whom He receives. “If we endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?” Bro. Jackson went over that one time. He said, there are some children you have to use the law on, others you can just rebuke and that hurts them as bad as the whipping would hurt others. Go on down to verse 18, “For we are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, (That is what he is talking about, in the mountain of Moses, when he was receiving the Law. A trumpet there sounded all day and all night. God blowing the trumpet.) and the voice of words; which voice they that heard entreated that the word should not be spoken to them anymore.” The children of Israel did not want the word, because it was a rebuke to them. “(For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) But ye are come unto mount Zion, (This is our occupying place today. We have come into Mount Zion,) and unto the city of the living God, (What great and gracious promises we have. We are there now, not physically, but spiritually we are already there. Whenever you receive the Holy Ghost and follow The Word of God, then you are in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.) the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.” This is where we are at now. We haven’t received the change of our mortality into immortality, but we are standing on holy ground. I am not talking about with our feet, but with our faith. “To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, (firstborn, a new birth) which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” Prayer.

Preached on August 16, 2020 AM

There is a move today in America that is Communistically inspired. You may be sitting here and not realize that, but it is closer than what you think. These things that are being done and said today in public, some are even calling themselves Marxists. They are the heads of some of these groups that are leading riots and things of that nature. In the daily life we have now, we do not realize what is really going on by just listening to the news. There is something going on today in the nation we have grown up to love and be a part of, and to the flag we do respect. It is a different time we are living in. Maybe some of the words I speak to you this morning does not mean a whole lot to you, but I hope sooner or later in time that you do realize just what time we are living in. We have never lived in a time like this. This is not my main message, but it is something I wanted to talk about a little bit before I go into the main message. If you are just thinking about daily life and that what is going on is just a happening, it is not just a happening, it is something very real. We are entering into a time that we have never been in before. Every regime that has promoted Communism is focusing on America right now. They call it Socialism, but Socialism is just a step away from Communism. When Socialism is induced, then Communism follows. They want to make it sound good in every way they can by giving people free stuff, but really, they are just gutting the nation from the things that God has blessed it with. If God is not in it, then it is a far-fetched idea of man to try manipulating people’s minds into thinking that everything is going to be all right. If certain things happen in the next few months, then we are in great danger. I believe we are already. But we do have the blessings that God is blessing us with. I am looking ahead a short few months to a change in this country if America does not take heed. But God has promised to take care of His children. He has left us that promise and today we hold to that promise. America today is not the America it used to be. We are going to be able to notice the changes soon, as they are already happening right now. I just wanted to go into that a little bit before the main message.

I Will Go

We have scriptures to read from the book of Genesis, 24^th chapter. I was thinking about this, I am likening this setting in Genesis to the Bride of Jesus Christ, only in this reading it is the bride of Isaac. But Rebekah is very much a type of the Bride. In the gospel setting of Abraham and Jacob, Isaac is the only one who does not have more than one wife. This sets a type of what Christ was to be, as you see it in the book of Hebrews. We read last week from the book of Hebrews, about Abraham and the city he was looking for. Abraham was looking far beyond the time he was living in. He was even looking beyond the time that Christ would come, but he was looking at Christ as being that centerpiece of that city that was to come. It tells us that in Revelation 21 and 22. We have evidence of it throughout the scriptures, and in this chapter of Genesis, it is a great story. I have interjected another thought into this message, which is “I Will Go.”  Just three words, I will go. You will see that as we read this scripture. “And Abraham was old, (He was a hundred and forty some years old at that time.) and well stricken in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh:” He is making sure his servant is making contact with him. Abraham will be sending his eldest servant to find a bride for Isaac. He is not going, and Isaac is not going. A type of the hour we are living in right now. God has called messengers for this hour, as he has through the ages of time. From Peter and especially from Paul and so on as we come through centuries of time, right on down into each age. God had a man on the scene in every age. We know at Sardis, there was Luther. Then the next age, which was Philadelphia, had Wesley. Then it comes on down to the time of William Branham, the seventh church age messenger. It is all written in the Bible, you see each one, and Jesus has these in His hands. The Bible says He does, the seven stars in His right hand. The seven stars are seven messengers. This is written in the 1^st chapter of Revelation, in the last verse, it calls them angels, which are angel messengers, inspired by angels. There is no better illustration of that than in Bro. Branham’s ministry, because when he pointed out somebody who had something wrong with them, he always waited on the angel of the Lord to show him the problem. Many times, he would tell them the problem, then he would tell them the cause of the problem and tell them they must do certain things in order to get rid of the problem they had. Many people came to that point but did not go beyond that when he told them what to do. When I lived in Burkesville, I remember talking to Bro. Branham’s nephew; he was probably in his 30’s or 40’s at the time, Bro. Branham had prayed for his nephew, but nothing happened. I did not doubt, but it did leave questions that needed an answer. It was not long until I found out that the man had not done what Bro. Branham had said for him to do. This happened all throughout his ministry. People said that Bro. Branham promised them certain things, but then they died, because they did not listen to the words that were said unto them. Some had their own ideas about it, and they thought it did not mean anything, but it did mean something. He even told people to go to the doctor and be checked out. He told Sis. Jackson that, to go to the doctor and have that checkup. When she did, I think it was three days later, then the thing left her, not to bother her again. So, it is important that we take heed to the word of God and the things that the ministry is saying in this hour that we are living in. Just because Bro. Branham passed away and Bro. Jackson passed away, does not mean the word of God passed away. The word of God is still real today in the hearts and minds of the children of God. We are the children of God by faith. We are the Bride of Jesus Christ by faith. It is a working that God is doing in our lives to increase our hope in the hour in which we live, to be able to make it out of here. It is not just words, because we see in Ephesians Chapter 4, the ministry that God raised up was not just one person. That ministry is a fivefold ministry. As Bro. Branham and Bro. Jackson were ministers of God, there were men in the time of Wesley that rose up and carried the same message that God had placed in that time, as well as men in Luther’s time. Even Luther’s great uncle, they killed him one hundred years before Luther came on the scene. His uncle told them: now you kill a stork, but there will be a time come when there will be a swan. When the time came, it was Luther, one hundred years after they had killed his uncle. Just because there has been several years since these men passed off the scene, the message is still important today. It is still being carried to the saints of God. Just because Abraham died did not mean that it had lost its affect. You see the effects of it in the apostle Paul’s writings where he talked about Abraham. Then he talked about Isaac in two different places. One time in Romans and one time in Hebrews. He said, in Isaac shall thy seed be called. Why would he say that? Because Abraham had many sons.

I would like to say something about that this morning. Abraham had a son by the Egyptian woman, and he had sons by Keturah. This past week something happened in the Middle East that is fulfilling scripture. Israel signed a treaty with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). You might think that did not mean anything, but it did. Because that is an Arab nation and a part of Abraham’s seed. They are expecting now that Saudi Arabia is going to sign a peace treaty with Israel. We are living in the time that God is working. You might ask, why do you say that? When the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39 happens, what is said? When Gog comes through Saudi Arabia and the UAE, they ask: what are you doing, coming for a spoil? That is oil.

All Muslims are not Arabs. The Middle East is filled with Muslim people in countries such as Iran and others that are not a part of the Arab people. The Arab people are Abraham’s seed. That is the reason they are called Arabs. Even parts of Iraq are inhabited by Ishmael’s lineage and parts of Saudi Arabia such as Havilah where Ishmael dwelt. But then Abraham’s seed was scattered all the way from near the Egyptian border, all the way along the border of the sea, all the way into the United Arab Emirates there. Now we find Iran is causing trouble in the Strait of Hormuz, and various places today. That is what is going on. I am not meaning this to be a news cast this morning, but a few days ago when that peace treaty was signed it fulfilled scriptures. It might seem strange to some people, but these things must be in order to fulfill the scriptures such as Ezekiel 38 and 39. These countries are not against Israel with Gog then. They are not Communists, they are Muslims, but that is going to change. Whenever they signed that peace treaty with Israel, it means somewhere they are recognizing Abraham is their father. What is the name of the treaty?  It is the Abraham Accords!

“And Abraham said unto his eldest servant of his house, that ruled over all that he had, Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh: And I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven, and the God of the earth, that thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell.” Now Jesus Christ is in heaven today. Abraham, as we read about him here, is a representative of God. Isaac, a representation of Jesus Christ, is not out looking for a wife. This is one of the last duties of Abraham. He is sending his eldest servant out. Why would he use his eldest servant? Because he had been around longer, he knew the thoughts of Abraham, he knew what God had done through Abraham. No doubt when Abraham met Melchizedek, this servant was there. No doubt when Abraham rescued Lot, he was there. He was there all the way back when Abraham began to take on servants. He was the eldest. He was somebody that Abraham trusted. He had many other servants, but this was his most trusted servant. This is the thing that is going on in the ministry of Jesus Christ today. They must be trusted servants. Men who will carry on the Truth and will not fail in the latter times, no matter what the latter times may bring. It will still be the truth. “But thou shalt go unto my country, (He is sending him back to his own country from which he came from, because he is wanting to find Isaac’s bride among his kinfolks. He wants his kinfolks involved in this. He is looking for a wife, just as God has looked and is looking for a wife for the Bridegroom. God is looking for that Bride and it is about completely made up here in this hour. As Bro. Jackson said when he was talking about this country, he said there will not be thousands, there will only be hundreds. You can see that today, how it has dwindled down. Even Bro. Branham said: I used to fill stadiums with people, but now I do good to get four or five thousand in these places. The message movement today is claiming they have millions of people. I believe it is three and one half million, they claim. This is not the Bride of Jesus Christ. You might say, well you are picking and choosing. I am saying today that the Bride of Jesus Christ is going to be few. And Its ministry was and is men who carry on the same message of the Prophet of the Age. I was privileged to live in part of that. I was privileged to hear the seventy weeks of Daniel; I was privileged to hear the Seals. That does not make me anything, but it does relate me back to that time when these things were preached, to know about it firsthand. I said that does not make me anything, but I am an eyewitness, just as others were. Paul talked about that, the eyewitnesses of what happened when Christ’s ministry was going on…. Thou shalt go unto my country) and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac.” He did not want a Canaanite woman. He wanted kin. God is looking for ‘kinfolk’ for Jesus today. By saying kinfolk, I mean they are to be His wife, just as Rebekah was to be Isaac’s wife. But there will be tests and there will be trials. Somewhere we are going to make up our mind which direction we are going to go, whether it be the way of the world or the way of the Bible. The Bible is the truth. “And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?” He is wanting to know what he is to do if she will not come, shall I back track and take your son to that land? This is putting faith in Abraham as he is looking at this. As God has searched for a Bride of Jesus Christ, when I say search, I mean He has called her. She is called out from the rest of the world, and the world does not know her. They are not acquainted with her because they do not know what is inside her.  The world does not know her desire to follow God through His word. The foolish virgins do not have that desire. They have a lesser role during the time of the Millennium. God says they will be my servants. The servants will be a part of the ministry, but not a part of the Bride. They will function during that time, but not in Bride positions. “And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou bring not my son thither again. The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed (which would be Isaac. Isaac was an older man, about 75, when Abraham died. Abraham had more than one son, but his seed is going to be Isaac. Not Ishmael, not Keturah’s children, Abraham sends them away before he dies so that Isaac may be the one to carry on. This may seem cruel, but this is God’s doing. God’s doings seem cruel to people. But it is His way, He is the one that planned it all out. Unto thy seed…) will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath: only bring not my son thither again.” You cannot raise Him up again, you cannot bring Him back again. This is all a lesson that is told here. “And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and sware to him concerning that matter. And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; (Catch that. He took ten camels of his master. He did not have anything. The ministry has nothing of our own. We are blessed with a ministry, but we did not earn it, we did not gain it in any way. We had to be called to it, just as Abraham’s servant was called to it. The servant took ten camels of the master and departed…) for all the goods of his master were in his hand: (Everything that God has for the Bride of Jesus Christ today is in His servants’ hands. This may sound strange, but it is true. God is not out here preaching the gospel. Jesus is not preaching the gospel. But His servants are.) and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.” He had been there before. He knew where he was going, he was the eldest servant. Brothers and sisters, we know where we are going. Because somebody has already been there before us. We are able to express something today of what has happened throughout the time of the Bride of Jesus Christ, all the way from the time of the apostles. The ministers in the churches today will not deal with it because they would lose their popularity and their money. They would lose everything that they have. We are not preaching for money. I am not saying we do not get a salary, but we are not preaching for that. It is because we love truth. Truth will make you free. “And the servant took ten camels of the camels of his master, and departed; for all the goods of his master were in his hand: and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto the city of Nahor.”

ONE Bride for Isaac

All these things were given into the hands of his servant. Isaac is still under Abraham. Jesus Christ is still guided by the Father today. He sits to make intercession for us, on the right hand of the Father. Jesus said when He was here on this earth: I do not know when that time will come, nor do angels know when that time will come. He is talking about the time of the coming of the Lord. Jesus said: only God Himself knows. “And he made his camels to kneel down without the city by a well of water at the time of the evening, even the time that women go out to draw water.” He knew that from experience. This is the time that women go out to draw water. We know that today. This is the time that we go to draw water from God’s eternal well. “And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and show kindness unto my master Abraham. Behold, I stand here by the well of water; and the daughters of the men of the city come out to draw water: And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master.”

Unto Abraham, because Isaac is still under Abraham. I want you to know that, until he sends all the children away and then he turns it over unto Isaac. As I said at the beginning, Isaac only marries one time. A representative of the Bride of Jesus Christ. Jesus is not married to this world. He is not married to the world churches. He is going to be married to a Bride. That takes place in Revelation 19, when the Bride is received by the Bridegroom. This is a beautiful story. “…let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast showed kindness unto my master.” He is praying a prayer that is going to be very hard for the damsel, and he is going to stand off and watch to see if there is somebody appointed to that. He has asked that she give him a drink, and then after that to give ten camels a drink. How much water is that going to be? That probably will be at least ten gallons for each camel. That would come to at least a hundred gallons of water or more. That hump on the camel’s back is to hold water. “And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, (She was not just anyone. This all must fit the Bride in this hour. We are not mixed with denominationalism. We are not mixed with Revelation Chapter 17. This is the true Bride of Jesus Christ; this is what we are partakers of. It is up to us to fulfill that duty, every one of us, not just the ministry, but every one of us. God has placed a leadership in the Bride that we may know the steps we are to take. The damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin…) neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher.” This is the only thing he does. He does not tell her what he is meditating on, he just asks for a drink. That is all he asked of her, a drink. “And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, (that was from her shoulder) and gave him drink. And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking.”

This is going to take some time. But this is the proof of what he was looking for. I can imagine that old man (he was getting old at that time) just looking at the situation and seeing what is going on. How that God has blessed him thus far because he needed proof that this was the one. He had asked a hard question of her. The only thing he asked her was for a drink of water. The rest of it was voluntary on her part. Our call in God is voluntary after we are called. We volunteer for the service of God, to do what is right in His will and purpose. This is our duty. This is the lesson here for all of us. “And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.” This is a story like the story of Ruth. The time she spent serving her mother-in-law led Ruth to her husband. “And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit (or witness) whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.” We are still wondering: is this thing going to work? But it will. It will get its fulfillment. You and I are going to fulfill this. This was not a dream of Abraham’s. He did not dream it all up, neither did his servant dream it up. It is obedience, without a dream, without God just probing us and shoving us. This is a willing work of the servant of Abraham, to bring forth something that is going to be a blessing. “And it came to pass, as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold.” Now these are the gifts. The gifts she has before she is ever married. “And said, Whose daughter art thou? Tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father’s house for us to lodge in? And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. She said moreover unto him, We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in.” This is the willingness of her. This is a promise from her before she even asked her family members: is this going to be alright? The family members have nothing to do with her decision. You will see that. “And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the Lord.” We are seeing enough now that we bow down and worship the Lord. We raise our hands unto Him. “And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who hath not left destitute my master of his mercy and his truth: I being in the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren. And the damsel ran, and told them of her mother’s house these things. And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.” Laban is going to have a future with Jacob, but we are not dealing with Jacob this morning. “And it came to pass, when he saw the earring and bracelets upon his sister’s hands, and when he heard the words of Rebekah his sister, saying, Thus spake the man unto me; that he came unto the man; and, behold, he stood by the camels at the well.” He had not moved, he stood by the well. “And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord; wherefore standest thou without? For I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.” There was some work going on before he gets there. The servants of The Lord are still standing at the well, waiting until the provider provides them their place. “And the man came into the house: and he ungirded his camels, and gave straw and provender for the camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men’s feet that were with him.” See? He was not alone. He was not one man. You cannot tie it all to one man. They had their duties. I would say there were at least four or five other men with him. Because Rebekah is going to go back on one of those camels, plus her handmaids. “And there was set meat before him to eat: but he said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. And he said, Speak on.” Everybody was getting hungry, but he said, let us wait a little while. Servants of the Lord have time to wait. A preacher said one time: before I read my Bible, I always pray because I always pray before I eat. “And he said, I am Abraham’s servant. And the Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great: and he hath given him flocks, and herds, and silver, and gold, and menservants, and maidservants, and camels, and asses. And Sarah my master’s wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath. And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell: But thou shalt go unto my father’s house, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son. And I said unto my master, Peradventure the woman will not follow me. And he said unto me, The Lord, before whom I walk, will send his angel with thee, and prosper thy way; and thou shalt take a wife for my son of my kindred, and of my father’s house: Then shalt thou be clear from this my oath, when thou comest to my kindred; and if they give not thee one, thou shalt be clear from my oath.” The oath of the ministry is all the way to the end. “And I came this day unto the well, and said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, if now thou do prosper my way which I go: Behold, I stand by the well of water: and it shall come to pass, that when the virgin cometh forth to draw water, and I say to her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water of thy pitcher to drink; And she say to me, Both drink thou, and I will also draw for thy camels: let the same be the woman whom the Lord hath appointed out for my master’s son. And before I had done speaking in mine heart, behold, Rebekah came forth with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down unto the well, and drew water: and I said unto her, Let me drink, I pray thee. And she made haste, and let down her pitcher from her shoulder, and said, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: so I drank, and she made the camels drink also. And I asked her, and said, Whose daughter art thou? And she said, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bare unto him: and I put the earring upon her face, and the bracelets on her hands. And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, which had led me in the right way to take my master’s brother’s daughter unto his son. And now if ye will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me: and if not, tell me; that I may turn to the right hand, or to the left. Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The thing proceedeth from the Lord: we cannot speak unto thee bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Lord hath spoken. And it came to pass, that, when Abraham’s servant heard their words, he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth. And the servant brought forth jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment, and gave them to Rebekah: he gave also to her brother and to her mother precious things.” He gave them precious gifts. The gifts that God has given are precious. They cost Jesus everything.

Then he was ready to eat. He had found THE bride. “And they did eat and drink, he and the men that were with him, and tarried all night; and they rose up in the morning, and he said, Send me away unto my master. And her brother and her mother said, Let the damsel abide with us a few days, at the least ten; after that she shall go.” That is the way the kindred are: ‘just wait a little longer, do not be in a hurry about this, you do not need to be too quick about it.’ “And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth. And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go.” I will go. That is the question for all of us this morning. Are we going to go? I will go. “And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men.” Never to see Rebekah again, never. One of these days this world is going to give way, and the world we live in will never see us again. You might say, I thought we were coming back. We will, but it will be a different world. All this rioting and looting and all is going to be over. Prayer

To be continued in next issue…